Who is brought into the story here? What is said about John and “the light”? Who was the light for?
We all undoubtedly believe that Jesus, even as a newborn baby, is the Prince of Peace and the Lord of our life. We give him honor and praise because he is the gift of God’s love and has come for our salvation. He is deserving of adoration and glory.
Yet, in spite of all this royal treatment and respect that is given we are also reminded that Jesus came to earth not to be separate and above all of us. Instead, Jesus came to be part of the lives of all humanity. He came to be that expression of God’s grace but also to live on the same level as each of us.
We see it in this passage. John was sent by God – inspired by God – to serve as a prophet for Jesus. John the Baptist was moved by God to begin teaching about Jesus and proclaiming his coming. In verse 7 the Bible tells us that John served as a witness to Jesus so that through Jesus “all men might believe.”
This is picked up again in verse 9. The true light – that is, Jesus, the love of God – was coming and Jesus was meant to give “light to every man.”
As we celebrate the holiday of Christmas we must remember that the birth of Jesus was a gift of incredible love from God. Jesus was an expression of God’s mercy and grace. And even though Jesus is of heavenly royalty he was given as a gift to every human being who will accept him.
We do not need to be extremely rich. We do not need high intelligence. We do not need to be perfect people. We simply need to see that the gift of Christ was a gift for you and me and everyone, no matter what place in society they hold.
DAILY CHALLENGE: What will remind you that all people can receive the gift of Jesus?
